Recipe for Murder

1 stocky man who abuses his wife

1 small tender wife

1 medium-size tough woman in love with the wife

1 double-barreled shotgun

1 small Karoo town marinated in secrets

3 bottles of Klipdrift brandy

3 little ducks

1 bottle of pomegranate juice

1 handful of chili peppers

1 mild gardener

1 fire poker

1 red-hot New Yorker

7 Seventh-day Adventists (prepared for the end of the world)

1 hard-boiled investigative journalist

1 soft amateur detective

2 cool policemen

1 lamb

1 handful of red herrings and suspects mixed together

Pinch of greed

• Throw all the ingredients into a big pot and simmer slowly, stirring with a wooden spoon for a few years.

• Add the ducks, chilis, and brandy toward the end and turn up the heat.

“Recipes for Love and Murder” by Sally Andrew is a cozy mystery where we meet Tannie Maria, who writes the advice and food column for her local newspaper in rural South Africa.

She has a knack and a passion for helping people, but it is her love of food that defines who she is. “’I don’t believe in sleeping in the day,’ I said to my tea. ‘It’s confusing. When I wake up I don’t know whether to have breakfast, lunch or supper.’”

When she receives a letter from an abused wife looking for help, Maria is forced to face her own issues from a similar situation. The poor woman is murdered and now Tannie Maria feels connected and helps with the investigation, to the slight aggravation and dismay of the police department.

Every page of this novel had me falling more and more in love with Maria. She is so caring and really only knows how to show her love through food (which she often talks to: “‘If you are honest with yourself,’ I said to the potato salad, ‘is the feeling of love really any better than the satisfaction you get from a good meal?’”

This book is available on audio in the Libby app, and I highly recommend listening to it as that allows you to feel the culture through the accents and actual words of the language. However, the printed book comes with a glossary which is quite helpful too unless you know Afrikaans and South African which are sprinkled generously throughout the book!

“Voetsek” means go away; “jislaaik” is gosh; and “jou sissie se vissie” is a swear word that means your grandmother’s big toe. And none of those are pronounced the way you might think!

This book is definitely getting added to my lists of favorites and, luckily, there’s another one in the series, titled “The Satanic Mechanic.” I’ve already read them both twice!

To me, this book is like good food; it is something that you just need. And as Tannie Maria says: “In the end what matters most is love and food. Without them you go hungry.”

Recipes for Love and Murder by Sally Andrew is available in print at The Alpine Branch Library and as an eBook and eAudiobook on Libby through the Lincoln County Library System. Enjoy!